Selling the Drama
by Fenrir's Daughter
Summary: Saiyaka and Karma decide to spend the summer making the next great American horror classic and enlist the Pasaro brothers to help.The continuing adventures of Saiyaka the Psycho, Dragon Lady of the Drama Club. NoloOC.
1. Halls of Montezuma

A/N: I've been developing this character for a while now, and finally, here is the payoff! The plan is to write a sequel to this before I write the next segment of the Marvels Among Us saga, and she'll probably show up there later on. She's a little biographical, I guess, so learn her well!

Oh, yeah: **I do not now, nor have I ever owned any stake in the Mattel or Hot Wheels corporations, or in Mainframe Entertainment. I have nothing to do with the AcceleRacers series. I am merely borrowing various characters for my own amusement.**

* * *

Nolo snickered quietly to himself, catching the can of red spray paint his older brother ‎tossed him

Nolo snickered quietly to himself, catching the can of red spray paint his older brother tossed to him.

"Man, would you stop laughing, bro?" Tone hissed. "Someone's gonna hear you!"

"They won't catch us, Tone" he said. "They never ever catch us. We are the end all be all of mischief."

"Oh, really?"

The Pasaro brothers jumped at the voice that came from just above them. The brick wall they were crouched in front of was tagged and they held rather incriminating cans of spray paint. Nolo smiled charmingly like he always did; it usually helped him out of trouble, but not this time. The English teacher who stood with her hands on her hips hefted both boys to their feet almost without effort before they had a chance to run away.

"Well, since you two are feeling so artistic," she said sharply, "you can help paint sets for the drama club in detention, starting today, for the rest of the week."

Tone and Nolo groaned. It was going to be a long week.

* * *

A pretty faced Japanese girl strode confidently down the hallway of Montezuma Senior High School, and freshmen and seniors alike ducked out of her way, hoping to avoid her wrath. They did so not because she was a particularly large girl; she wasn't very tall, and she was fairly thin. She did have a certain manliness to her gait, but she was not particularly masculine, nor was she particularly ugly. But still they avoided her like the plague.

Saiyaka Takamoto was born in Los Angeles at Cedar Sinai hospital at some point in the mid eighties, though no one was entirely sure when. She attended school regularly, and even took ballet lessons, which she quit after her parents' divorce. Very young at the time, she seemed to think that it was her fault, but the fact was that Yuki was a bitch and her father was in love with his secretary, Megumi. The aforementioned secretary soon became Kazuo Takamoto's second wife, and in short order, bore him a son, whom they named Shirako.

Between the stress of the divorce and her new brother, Saiyaka became a very _angry_young girl. She felt that she was not receiving the attention she deserved and felt much unloved. She began to overeat, and this caused new problems; Saiyaka gained a great deal of weight, and now the other children at school picked on her. The girl retreated from normal social interaction, preferring to be left alone, and crying for her loneliness when no one was looking. She felt even more anger burning inside of her, and eventually, it found a way out.

One afternoon, after an especially stressful day of school, Saiyaka had had enough. On the bus ride home, a boy who gave her more trouble than others referred to her as "Kool-Aid" because she was large and happened to be wearing a red shirt. She snapped. She jumped on the boy and attempted to strangle him, screaming that he did not deserve to live. Because he was a known bully, Saiyaka went unpunished. A time later, she was yelled at by a substitute teacher, and promptly scratched him across his face; to this day, he had scars, but no punitive action was taken beyond a formal suspension. A while after that, Saiyaka was cornered by a few members of the soccer team, who made the mistake of picking on her for her weight; she broke three noses, an arm and an ankle, and got off scott-free after convincing school authorities it was in self defense.

Saiyaka was left alone by bullies, now, but that created yet another problem. Now, she was almost always alone. If the other students weren't picking on her, they weren't speaking to her at all. But she was too proud to admit she was lonely, so she read, completely bypassing Rudyard Kipling and J. K. Rowling for Dean Koontz and Stephen King. Saiyaka also wrote stories of her own, but she often times found herself reading aloud, experimenting with the pitch and volume of her voice as she paced back and forth in her room. It was a new found sense of freedom for her, and she soon found a nonviolent way to let out that rage and the intense need to control others she felt: through _acting._

And so, Saiyaka Takamoto, at the age of twelve, became involved with the drama club, where she met and kept a very close friend, named Karma Eiss. Karma, controlling and manipulative much in the same way as Saiyaka, was a perfectionist. Her mother was always pushing her to be absolutely perfect, and she refused to do anything incorrectly. The two became confidants, sharing their dreams. Really, Karma was only in the drama club because her mother said it would round out her college application, but she still enjoyed herself; especially now that she had Saiyaka to talk to.

Years passed; Shirako introduced her to a game called Dance Dance Revolution, and Saiyaka lost the weight. She was now trim and fit, but still she carried a chip on her shoulder from when she was a heavy hitter, and her swiftness and strength had increased quite a bit. She still had a quick temper and had no aversion to hitting people bigger than her, and with great speed and accuracy.

Between her violent streak, her passion for theatrics, and a fascination she had developed of serial killers over the years, Saiyaka Takamoto had become a living legend in her school district. She was Saiyaka the Psycho, Dragon Lady of the Drama Club, and all who crossed her would be severely punished.

And that was why her fellow students avoided her; not because she was particularly big, strong, masculine or ugly, but because she was _mean. _True, she could be sweet sometimes, but she changed quicker than the wind and was twice as volatile. There were no predicting Saiyaka's moods.

But that's why Karma liked her. Their polar opposite personalities worked well off of each other, and together they ran a very tight ship as President and Vice President of the Drama Club at Montez High.

"You're late, boss," she said in her usual flat voice. Saiyaka was directing this year's production of Little Shop of Horrors, a musical about a man-eating plant and the unfortunate schlemiel who raises it in the flower shop where he's employed. Karma's mother wanted her to play the lead, but her voice was to low. As director, Saiyaka had no other option but to banish her to the "Greek Chorus" of street urchins. Karma's character, the leader of the street urchins, was named Chiffon.

"Sorry, Karma," she said sweetly, and then suddenly turned nasty as she glared over her shoulder. "A certain _someone_ couldn't keep up."

"The varsity goons were chasing me again! I could have kept up if you helped me out!"

"You'll never learn to stand up for yourself if I baby you, Shi-Shi-chan."

"Don't call me Shi-Shi-chan!!"

Saiyaka only grinned and shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever. Just keep rolling."

Shirako grumbled and lifted his digital camera back to eye level; it was just like Saiyaka to put her documentary of the directorial process above the safety of her half brother. As a member in good standing of the Audio-Visual Club, he deserved better treatment than this. He watched through the view finder as she whistled loudly, calling the club to order and demanding their attention. She began to address the group on the importance of their production, filling their hearts with dreams of becoming stars, when the auditorium doors flew open.

It was the tenth grade English teacher, Ms. Geist, and she had two guilty looking Mexican boys in tow. Saiyaka grinned maliciously, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. She turned to the group in charge of sets and props.

"Fresh meat!" she hollered, and then turned to her vice president. "It would seem we have a pair of prisoners, Miss Eiss."

"On work release, I believe, Miss Takamoto," she said, her cold eyes dancing over them. The taller one with the shaved head winked at her, and she smiled shyly.

The teacher cleared her throat. "Miss Takamoto, Miss Eiss, these are Tone and Nolo Pasaro. I caught them defacing school property."

"We were right! They really_ are_ prisoners on work release."

"Yes, well, in light of the situation, would you perhaps—"

"We're always looking for new blood around here, Ms. Geist," Saiyaka said. "Don't worry; we'll be sure to whip them into shape. And I promise they won't disappear mysteriously like the last ones."

Ms. Geist raised her eyebrows, but Karma only smirked; though Saiyaka had calmed down quite a bit over the years, she liked to promote her creepy image wherever possible.

"Uh-huh. You do that." The frazzled teacher shivered and walked swiftly towards the door, fleeing from the auditorium in terror. Saiyaka sized up the Pasaro brothers like a wildcat wondering if she should save her prey for later or just eat it right then and there. She smiled at them, but immediately scowled at Karma.

"For crying out loud, would you stop it with the bedroom eyes? You're embarrassing yourself, and he's much too old for you." She turned on Tone, and was about to snap at him, but her breath caught in her throat. She glared and growled. "You…You've got a lot of nerve showing your face around here."

"Excuse me?" he snapped angrily. "I don't even know you!"

"Saiyaka Takamoto. You used to call me Saiyaka the Vacca because I was a little pudgy," she said in a low voice. The club members within ear shot purposefully ignored her. "You should have graduated last year, Tone. What are you still doing here? You get held back?"

He scowled, but did not answer. Nolo chuckled; vacca was the Spanish word for cow. The girl that stood before him was lean and attractive, if a little unstable, but he knew what a jerk his brother could be.

"What are you laughing at?" she said, staring into his eyes. Their faces were barely a few inches apart and Nolo jumped back.

"It's just kinda hard to believe you were ever 'pudgy;' I mean you're just so thin and pretty…"

He trailed off, embarrassed, and Saiyaka smiled at him and ruffled his hair. "You, sir, are my new favorite. Now, come over here, and let me show you what we need…"

It went like that for a few days, Nolo charming the Dragon Lady, and Tone trying to avoid her wrath. They helped the prop guys to build the different puppets that were needed for different stages of the man-eating plant's growth, and painted a store front with a sign that read "Mushnik's Skid Row Florist" while the actors rehearsed around them. But on Friday, on the final day of their punishment, tragedy struck for the Pasaro brothers…

* * *

"Okay, a little to the left," Tone called up. They were setting up the storefront; Tone was on the ground, and Nolo was on a ladder, attempting to straighten the store sign. "No, bro, _my_ left!"

Saiyaka was walking towards the stage from the back of the auditorium, and Nolo and Tone noticed she had Karma and a guy with her. Of course, watching them, they were not paying enough attention to what they were doing, and Nolo began to lose his balance as they edged ever closer. They were almost to the stage while Nolo tried desperately to hang on and grabbed the sign for support. Saiyaka was about to introduce Tone to the boy with her, when Nolo suddenly cried out. The ladder tipped over and Tone dived off the stage, pulling Karma and Saiyaka to safety.

Saiyaka groaned and held her forehead, thanking Tone. "You need to watch what you're doing, Nolo," she said. "You're lucky Jeffrey's not hurt. Right, Jeffrey? Jeffrey?"

But sadly, Jeffrey was completely unconscious from pain beneath Nolo, the ladder, and the sign. His leg was broken and his parents had to be called to take him to the hospital. Saiyaka was furious.

"Oh, you…" she growled, giving him a sidelong glance as Jeffrey was carried away. "You jerk!! You've ruined the show!"

"It was an accident," Nolo pleaded, backing away. "Just get his understudy to—"

"Jeffrey _was_ the understudy! Our first guy had to have his tonsils taken out and won't be able to speak for a month! The first performance is in three weeks!" Saiyaka's face fell, and she leaned on Karma for support. "Oh, we're doomed. So very, incredibly, undeniably _doomed._ This production was cursed from the start! I'll never be a great director…"

She began to quietly cry, but suddenly struck Shirako soundly in the back of his knees, snapping for him to get the camera out of her face. Karma sighed and lightly patted her shoulder in a half-hearted attempt to comfort her.

"There, there," she said flatly. "We'll think of something."

"All I can think about is that Mexican's balls on a plate," she growled, and suddenly turned on Nolo. "You're taking Jeffrey's place. You're the one who broke his leg, you'll play his part!"

"What?! Ay, no!! No, I can't act—"

"Acting is easy! Even farm animals act. All you have to do is say the lines like you think the character would say them."

Karma nodded grimly. "But the singing may be a problem," she said. "Can you sing?"

"Not in front of all those people!! Ay, Dios mio…" Nolo was feeling very dizzy all of a sudden and sat down on the edge of the stage, his legs hanging down. But Saiyaka was not to be discouraged; in fact, she had an idea.

"Well, if you don't think you could do it," she said mischievously. "I mean, it's very different from being in a regular play. It's very difficult to be in a musical."

Saiyaka elbowed the inattentive Karma Eiss, who jumped and quickly agreed. "Yes; very difficult."

"We could never trust you. I'm sure you'd never get it right…"

Nolo looked up. "What? You don't think I could do it?"

"Nope."

"I could so!"

"No you couldn't; no way."

"I could totally do it!!"

"Well, if you insist!" she chirped, and handed him Jeffrey's script. "Your lines are highlighted in red. We'll start working on songs next week."

Saiyaka beamed at the shocked underclassman; Nolo had not even realized what he was saying. And now, he was in the school musical…

For good or ill…

* * *

"She's right, Nolo," he told his kid brother. "You owe her big time. It'll all be over before you know it."

"Yeah, and then everyone's gonna know I was in a high school musical."

Of course, this was all in Spanish, so it sounded infinitely more tragic and romantic. Nolo continued to complain, but Tone would hear none of it.

"You _landed _on Jeffrey, bro. What's the big deal, anyway? His role couldn't be too bad, could it?"

Nolo quickly flipped through the script. He rolled his eyes and groaned. "Orin Scrivello, DDS. I'm a sadistic dentist who beats on my girlfriend and huffs my own laughing gas."

"Well, with your temper…"

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing, Nolo. Nothing at all." Tone took the script from his irritated brother's hands and looked it over. "You only got a couple scenes before the plant eats you; that's not so bad."

"But it's still enough, Tone!" he cried out. "I can't be seen in this production. I have a reputation to uphold!"

"You're being dramatic," Tone said, and chuckled. "See? This is perfect for you."

"Tone…"

"You're doing it, Nolo. You already agreed; you have to go through with it, so stop being a baby."

"I am _not_ being a baby! You just want to drag me to rehearsal so you can flirt with Karma."

"Straight up. Now go practice your lines."

"Oh, you suck."

* * *

"No, no, no!" Saiyaka yelled in exasperation. "How many times do I have to tell you?! You're supposed to moonwalk towards the dentist's chair, spin around once, swivel your hips like Elvis, and then drop to your knees with an innocent smile. Got it?! Good. From the top."

Nolo sighed and returned to his mark, preparing to try again; he had forgotten the knee drop. The younger Pasaro brother was attempting to learn the choreography for his big number in the show, "Dentist!", which hilariously described what a tool his character was. The scene called for him to simultaneously dance and sing his part, all the while grinning like a psychopath. Once again, Nolo missed a cue, and this time, stumbled and fell flat on his butt.

"Oh, for crying out loud. He's getting worse!!" Saiyaka hollered. "Get up there and show him how it's done, Shi-shi-chan."

"Yo, did you say something? Cuz I can't hear you if you don't use my name."

"Shirako," she said calmly; she only continued once she had her half brother's full attention. "If you don't get the FUCK onstage, I will FEED your KIDNEYS to STRAY CATS."

Shirako quickly handed off the video camera to Karma Eiss before scrambling towards Nolo's mark. Saiyaka cued-up the music and waited with Nolo in the wings. The boy possessed a natural grace, and performed each move with a certain flare.

"See?" Saiyaka said softly. "Just like that, Nolo. I know you can do this. All you have to do is try."

Nolo looked at Saiyaka, who was actually smiling at him; not her usual predatory grin, but a softer, more human expression. Her dark, almond eyes encouraged him, and his breath caught in his throat. For the first time, he noticed truly how beautiful Saiyaka was. Her jet black hair was in a messy bun, secured by chopsticks, and like all other female drama club members at the dance rehearsal, she wore three inch heels, a tight tank top and tiny gym shorts that left little to the imagination. Her curves distracted him—Nolo was, after all, a fifteen-year-old boy—and though Nolo knew he should be watching Shirako, he couldn't help but watch Saiyaka instead.

"What are you staring at, space-cadet?" she asked playfully. Nolo scowled and looked away, focusing on Shirako.

"If he's such a good dancer," he asked, "then why not put him in the show? Why me?"

"Orin is a bad-boy," Saiyaka replied, watching her brother. "He's supposed to be tough and ruggedly handsome."

Nolo nodded, trying not to look at her. What did she mean by 'ruggedly handsome?' Did she find him attractive?

"Sometimes I heard you singing Spanish ballads," Saiyaka whispered to him, and her breath in his ear made him shiver. "When you were working on the sets; it sounded so beautiful. Dancing isn't that different from singing, Nolo; both require rhythm. All you need is a little practice, and you'll be ready in no time. You can do this. I have faith."

"I'll try…"

"That's all I ask, Nolo," she said, and smiled.

* * *

Finally, after two grueling weeks of rehearsal, opening night came. Nolo fidgeted in his dentist's uniform, scrutinizing his own face in the mirror. Was he really going to go through with this? What about his reputation?

"Ay, cabròn…"

The split second students got wind of this, his name was mud, and he knew it. Nolo would be confined to eternal geekdom, and his life was officially coming to an end.

"Ready for your off-Broadway debut, Pasaro?" Saiyaka chirped, throwing her arms around him. Even after all that time working in close quarters with her, Nolo still did not understand Saiyaka in the least. She was a Nazi in heels one moment, and charming as a basket of kittens the next. There was simply no telling where her moods would take her, and though he usually prided himself in reading the strengths and weaknesses of the women around him to get what he wanted, Nolo simply could not figure Saiyaka out. She verbally abused him constantly at dance rehearsals, so he _thought_that Saiyaka did not like him. But she held him tight, looking up at him with stars in her eyes.

She held up a flier for the production, the first performance of which was to begin in one short hour. "This is our big night!" she said, but Nolo groaned. "What? What's wrong?"

"I'm going to be the laughingstock of the school," he softly whined. "I'm on the basketball team, I'm tough, and I'm _supposed_ to be cool. Drama Club is _not_cool, Saiyaka! The guy's are never going to let me live this down."

Saiyaka rolled her eyes, snorting in annoyance. "Is that all, you big wuss?" she asked, hands on her hips. She waved the flier in his face. "Look, unless any of your so-called friends actually show up to this stuff, this should cover it. Now stop whining before I pop you one."

Nolo furrowed his brow, snatching up the program for the show. According to the cast listings, the role of the evil dentist, Orin Scrivello, DDS, was to be played by…

"Manuel Ramirez?!"

"None of the Drama-llamas know you, and none of the varsity goons come to school plays, so, _hopefully_, no one will recognize you for who you really are," the director said with a smirk. Saiyaka had saved the day, sure, but did she have to be so smug about it? "Your reputation should survive intact."

Nolo looked at his feet, smiling softly. He muttered something under his breath. Saiyaka helped him into the leather jacket he was to wear over his dentist's uniform, making sure to get the zippers just right for the ultimate 'bad-boy' look, and Nolo would not look at her even as he felt his pulse racing from her body heat.

"You're welcome," Saiyaka whispered, and walked away.

This was it; he absolutely had to go on, whether he wanted to or not. Saiyaka may not have cared, for all he knew, but the rest of the cast was counting on him.

Though 'Dentist!' came in as a very close second, naturally, the biggest number of the show was 'Feed Me,' in which the plant Audrey II first speaks and expresses its thirst for human blood. Nolo had a song after that, in his dentist's office, where he was supposed to asphyxiate on his on laughing gas and be dragged offstage, and then he was home-free until the curtain call. He managed to get through his scenes with hysterical laughter, which, although forced, was quite convincing. He did it. He was…an _actor._Nolo Pasaro had _acted_ in a _musical._

"This is so freaky," he said at the cast party after the next evening's performance. "I can't believe I did that."

"I can't believe you were that _good_," Tone replied. "You knocked 'em dead out there, Nolo."

"Yeah. I know. That's what makes it so freaky!"

"Freaky, nothing! Kid, you oughta be in Hollywood." Saiyaka hugged him tightly with joyful grin, her tight silk dress clinging to her body, and kissed him on the cheek. "I know the school year's almost over, but I've got some big ideas that I really think you're gonna like. Right, Karma?"

Karma looked up in boredom. Lately, she just wasn't that into acting; she had a part-time job, secretly stunt-driving for a small, independent production company that did ridiculous action films, and she was becoming more interested in driving on abandoned highways than becoming a movie star. Karma claimed that Little Shop was going to be her last acting gig, but Saiyaka had other plans.

"I've had the script drawn up for a while, and it mostly centers on the female lead, but I really think I have a role that would be just absolutely perfect for you."

Nolo laughed. "Really?" he said. "A role?"

"Well, technically, three," she said. "They're identical triplets."

"Look, Saiyaka, this was a one time thing," he said gently. "I screwed things up for you, so I had to fix it. I don't think I'm cut out to be an actor."

Saiyaka ignored him and continued. "So, Chelsea—that's Karma's character—Chelsea's boyfriend cheats on her. She finds out, confronts him, he dumps her, she beats up the other girl, gets suspended—"

Nolo rolled his eyes, and even Tone looked annoyed.

"—but then she finds this ancient book of dark magic in a public library and decides to curse her ex for revenge. These horrible nasty demons posses her, and, filled with supernatural rage and intense hatred, she goes from party to party and kills and eats pretty much half the senior class, thereby ruining spring break for all involved. There's this really cool scene where Chelsea—Karma—bites into the throat of one of the triplets you would play if you agreed, and there's _blood_ and _pus_ and _torn flesh_ spraying everywhere, and he's trying to scream, but he can't…"

Saiyaka had a dreamy smile on her face as she described the horror of her cinematic vision. Tone and Nolo gaped at her, disgusted, and too macho to admit they were afraid. Karma shook her head; sometimes, she wondered if the only reason she hung out with Saiyaka was to protect Shirako from her.

"So, what do you say, Nolo?" she asked brightly. "We could even give Tone a part."

He and Karma's eyes met, and Tone looked away nervously. Nolo stared at her uneasily.

"I never really saw myself as an actor," he said, "let alone an actor in horror flicks."

"I'll write in two nude scenes for Karma," she said flatly. Her expression was completely serious. Nolo snickered at Karma's shocked reaction.

"Saiyaka, what the Hell!" she hissed, blushing.

"Make it three nude scenes, and cast me as the love interest," Tone said. His voice was shaky and forced, as if he was so very stunned by Saiyaka's suggestion that his brain was on autopilot. Karma blushed a darker shade of red, and Nolo watched the grin spread across Saiyaka's face.

"Deal," she said. The aspiring film-maker shook Tone's hand. "Now where, oh where, is that brother of mine? He'll want to know he's got camera work…"

A/N: I don't know what I was thinking with this. I just love Saiyaka, and I've wanted to put her in for a while, so...this is her story. I guess.


	2. Coming Attractions

A/N: Okay, I know this took forever. It really did. But I was stuck in a total rut and it just wasn't happening for me, so...yeah. Well, um, my mom has breast cancer, but since I so rarely post anyway, it probably won't effect how often I post. But here is the next installment of Selling the Drama!

Oh yeah, before I forget:

**Disclaimer:** I own one copy each of Hot Wheels: World Race, AcceleRacers: Ignition, AcceleRacers: Speed of Silence, AcceleRacers: Breaking Point, and AcceleRacers: The Ultimate Race, as well as a decent sized collection of actual Hot Wheels cars. I do NOT howver own the rights to any characters in this story, except perhaps those of my own design, which means that I own Saiyaka Takamoto and Ms. Phyllis Goldstein the scary corporate lawyer, kinda, sorta, _maybe._ Please, do not bother to sue me, as I am but a humble Library worker, and you will recieve nothing.

* * *

Karma lounged on her bed, absentmindedly conversing with her hyper friend, Saiyaka. It had been only the day before that the pair of them had graduated from high school. The four years of hell went by faster than Karma suspected they would, and she believed it was finally over.

"Don't be ridiculous," Saiyaka told her. "High school never ends!"

"We graduated. That seems like an ending to me."

"You're joking, right? Karma, the vast majority of the population is fixated on exactly the same things students focus on: who's the best dressed, who's got an eating disorder, who's gay, who's straight, who's gay but says they're straight, and so on and so forth." Saiyaka sighed with a smile, shaking her head. "Silly girl."

Karma shot her a look. "Maybe I just don't focus on tabloid newspapers like everyone else."

"Well, neither do I, silly," she chuckled.

"I'm not silly. Don't call me silly."

"Karma, all I'm saying is you've been on the inside too long, too involved to truly understand people from a psychological standpoint. I was always on the outside looking in, so I read deeper into things and know what makes people tick. I didn't mean to upset you, and I'm sorry." Saiyaka paused, blowing a wayward strand of hair from her face. "Anyway, that's not the point. What were we talking about? Where were we?"

"I was refusing to be in your shock-picture."

Saiyaka had been laying on the bed with her head and torso hanging upside-down over the edge, and presently, she threw her legs up over her head and spun in the air, landing on her feet. She stared down at the outwardly emotionless Karma "Cold-As-Ice" Eiss.

"Why not?!" she whined. "Karmaaaaaaaa…"

Karma sat up and glared at her. "Why did you tell them you'd put in a nude scene?"

"Because," she said incredulously, "I knew Tone would force Nolo to participate, if only so he could hang around you."

"I thought you said he was too old for me?"

"But you're eighteen now, so it's okay."

"So you're just going to let him see me naked?! Just like that?!"

"Well, yeah. I mean, what's the big deal? You like him, he likes you…you both like each other. You should go out. If he sees you naked before that, then it just cuts through a lot of red tape later on."

Karma blushed, unable to meet Saiyaka's gaze. She mumbled something inaudible, and Saiyaka asked her to repeat herself.

"I said Tone already saw me naked," Karma yelled. "He was backstage to wish Nolo luck, and he…he walked into my dressing room by mistake."

Saiyaka grinned. "Silly girl," she said, and Karma threw a pillow at her.

* * *

Nolo reached for the phone, only subconsciously aware of what he was doing. The boy was asleep on the couch, having zonked out after a most excellent graduation party at Pablo Steinberg's house. The party had been a general sort of thing, not for Pablo in particular, but for the entire senior class, and anyone who could show up was welcome. Pablo was cool like that; he didn't care about social cliques but just wanted everyone to get along. This was why everyone loved Pablo Steinberg, and why his parties were so great.

Nolo was usually an early bird. Of course, after a night like that, Nolo was exhausted.

"Hellooo?" he sighed, eyes still closed.

"Hey, Scrivello. You know your lines yet?"

Nolo was awake now. "Saiyaka? Whaa…why are you calling? It's too early…"

"Nolo, it's lunchtime."

"Hmm?" Nolo looked at the VCR; 11:37 AM. Crap. She was right. He sighed into the phone and grumbled.

"So?"

"So what?"

"So, have you and Tone read the script, and are you off book yet or not?"

Nolo felt like a total moron. With the end of school coming around, he forgot completely about Saiyaka's movie. Of course, he didn't want to be in it in the first place, but a promise was a promise. Still, he was unsure of how to convey how unprepared he was to Saiyaka without provoking her.

Saiyaka sighed. "Okay, you're not ready. Okay. That's okay." There was silence for a moment. "Look, can we meet for lunch somewhere to talk about this? Tell Tone Karma's with me."

"Where you wanna meet?" Tone asked, snapping to attention. He had been asleep on the floor for around six hours, but the mention of Karma's name, no matter how quiet, was the magic word.

* * *

Saiyaka covered the mouthpiece of her cell. "I'm not sure where we should meet them," she whispered. "The pizza place on fourth?"

"Your house. Your parents are at work and we can let Shirako in on things."

"I don't want them to know where I live! What if they turn out to be a pair of violent psychopaths?!"

"You can write a movie about them."

Saiyaka rolled her eyes. "How about Richie's Place? Yeah, the pizzeria on fourth."

Saiyaka chatted amicably for a minute longer before hanging up. "Grab your script and we'll run by my house to pick up Shirako and my sketches for the demons. I'm feeling really good about this, Karma. Oh, I can't believe we're finally getting this off the ground!!"

Karma sighed and followed her friend out.

* * *

Shirako suddenly seemed to find the floor very interesting as he entered the pizzeria, unable to meet Tone or Nolo's gaze. The bruise on his cheek from a recent run-in with a group of Nolo's friends was only just beginning to fade from deep purple to greenish-yellow. He shuffled reluctantly to the table they had picked out, but did not sit down until Saiyaka and Karma were seated. Still, he was able to keep himself under control and did not let them know they were getting to him.

"Hey, guys! Great to see ya!" Saiyaka said, clapping the Pasaros on the back. She gave a quick hug and flipped her folder open on the table. "Right, so let's get down to business! This is what I think the scene where Karma gets possessed should look like."

"Uh huh, very spooky. Listen, Saiyaka—"

"And this is what I've got worked up for Tone's character; his personality, the way he dresses, the way this one nerdy kid follows him around and does his homework so Tone'll protect him from bullies and such, that sort of thing."

"Saiyaka—"

"And these are the bios and costume ideas for your triple identity."

"Saiyaka!!"

"Yes?"

Nolo hated being ignored; _hated_ it. It drove him crazy. But he kept a handle on his temper as Saiyaka turned the page again to a particularly strange sketch she had made with a ball-point pen in the middle of the night. At first, Nolo could not tell what it was and had to turn his head to try and make it out.

"What is that?"

Saiyaka blinked and looked down at the drawing, then flashed a demonic grin. "That," she said, "is my workup for the scene in which Larry Ramirez, the jock triplet, gets his throat ripped out."

"Really? Eww." Nolo took a closer look at the picture and shuddered.

"What do you mean the jock triplet, Saiyaka? What are you planning?"

"That is an excellent question, Tone!" Saiyaka chirped. "I—"

"Saiyaka's idea was to make each of the three triplets dramatically different so that even though they look exactly alike, the viewer doesn't mistake them for each other." Karma smirked in her own delicate way, cherishing Saiyaka's stolen thunder. "Larry Ramirez is on the basketball team and has it out for the nerd who follows Tone's character around; basically, he's just a jerk who likes to pick on people smaller than him. Larry always wears an NBA jersey."

"Thank you, Karma," Saiyaka said through clenched teeth. "Very nice presentation. SO! To continue the explanation, Larry's brother, Harry, is a bit of a nerd himself. He works at the public library; the same public library where Chelsea finds the ancient spell book. He rambles when he's nervous, and, unlike his brothers, Harry wears glasses. Then, of course, we have the black sheep of the family, Gary!"

"He's my favorite," Karma said. "It's going to be so much fun to dress Nolo up."

Nolo's eyes widened. "Whoa, hold up!" he said. "Saiyaka, whaddaz she mean, 'dress Nolo up?!' I don't like the sound of that!!"

"Relax, Nolo! Gary's a Goth, which you would know if you _bothered _to read the_ script_. You just have to wear a lot of black clothes."

It was Karma's turn to grin evilly. "And black eyeliner, and black nail polish, and leather bracelets, and clunky boots, and a dog collar, and a trench coat—"

"Karma?"

"—and cutting scars, and tattoos, and maybe some purple streaks in his hair—"

"Earth to Karma! Come in, Karma!!" Karma hushed, and Saiyaka smirked. "Sorry about that. She loves doing costume work for guys."

"Once we dressed up Shirako like a geisha," Karma added. "He was so cute we dressed him up like a classic American hooker afterwards. I still have pictures on my cell phone."

Shirako buried his head in his hands, his face a deep shade of red, while Karma showed the pictures to Tone. The mutual crushes snickered at their end of the table. In that moment, Shirako truly wanted to die.

"Come on, Shirako," Saiyaka quietly said to him. "I'll take you home."

Shirako shrugged her hands off his shoulders and ran out the door. His half sister was actually offering sympathy. Was he truly so pathetic? Had he sunk so low that Saiyaka, the ultimate force for evil and torture, no longer wanted to toy with him? And now, Tone and Nolo's friends would have yet another in a long line of reasons to make his life miserable.

It wasn't that Shirako _liked_ dressing like a girl… That afternoon was a one time thing. An experiment! And Karma had wanted him to do it, besides. They danced around her Aunt's house—Phyllis Goldstein was almost perpetually out of town—and drank champagne, trying on the new costumes for drama club and Karma dug a kimono out of a trunk somewhere. She said how cute it would look on Shirako, undaunted when Saiyaka said it was a woman's outfit. Shirako did not want to put on the kimono, not really…but the champagne was getting to him, and Karma smelled so nice and asked, "Pretty please?" He did not squirm while she did his makeup, and he did not scowl while she pinned back his hair. He posed for the pictures, and did not even protest when she suggested a leather mini skirt and kerchief top with a Shirley Temple wig.

Because Karma asked him to; that was why Shirako even considered dressing that way. Because she dressed him, and he did anything Karma asked. Saiyaka had to threaten, but Karma only had to say, "Pretty please?" and he was putty in her hands.

"Why'd she have to tell them?" he whispered to himself. It just wasn't fair! And just as he wallowed in self pity, Shirako felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He whirled around in fear, recognizing the gruffness with which he was being handled; only a member of the varsity goon squad had a grip like that.

He saw it was only Nolo, but he didn't care. "What do you want?" he grumbled, looking away.

Nolo looked down at him sympathetically, which made it even worse. "Is it true, what she said?" he asked.

"What do you care?"

Shirako tried to run again, but Nolo grabbed his wrist. He knew he couldn't get away, so he stopped trying. "I didn't want to," he said softly, and the tears were beginning to show. "Karma…she wanted me to. I can't say no to her. She's…she's so pretty…"

Nolo had a grave expression on his face, but his eyes were soft. "It wasn't your fault, Shirako," he said soothingly. "It was years ago. It doesn't even matter."

He wiped tears from his face. "I know, but now everyone at school's going to find out and they'll have even more reason to beat me up than usual! They're gonna call me a pansy," he whined.

"No," Nolo him. "They won't. Tone won't say a word."

He looked up at Nolo and sniffed. "R-really?"

"I promise." And he smiled so warmly that Shirako completely overcame his crush on Karma. Shirako blushed, nodding, and followed Nolo back to the pizzeria.

* * *

"Now, I was thinking of redecorating the place when I got back, so do whatever you want with the wallpaper and floors. I don't mind. But if you smash anything," she warned, turning on Karma, "anything at all, so help me, I will sue you parents and blow your college fund on a new Jacuzzi. F'shtay? And don't touch the liquor cabinet."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good girl." Phyllis gave her niece a warm hug and kissed her forehead. "You have fun with your film crew; raid the fridge, get stage blood on my couch, whatever. Just stick by that tortured genius friend of yours, Karma, honey, 'cause she's going places."

"Yes, ma'am."

"And stop calling me ma'am. It makes me feel old."

"Yes, Aunt Phyllis."

Phyllis got into her BMW and pulled out past the Takamotos retrieving equipment from the trunk of Saiyaka's car. She honked her horn, and they waved.

"Bye, Ms. Goldstein!! Have fun in Acapulco!!"

Shirako took a deep breath, hefting a locked case full of camera accessories over his shoulder and walking briskly towards the house.

* * *

"So, how much of this stuff do we need anyway?"

"The recipe Saiyaka gave me said six parts corn syrup to three parts red food coloring to one part non-dairy creamer."

"Slow down, Karma," Nolo teased. "He failed math twice."

"Shut up, Nolo!"

"What? It's true."

Tone shot Nolo a look, not amused, and he quieted down. The Pasaro brothers got back to the task at hand, mixing up the stage blood that would be required for the messier scenes. Karma wondered what Tone was thinking, why he had agreed to all of this. Did he really like her that much? Or was he still trying to make up for what happened to Jeffrey? She just felt so confused whenever he was around. It scared her…but Karma liked it. It felt so exciting and new, the way her heart skipped a beat whenever Tone walked by, the way his eyes seemed to dance when he smiled at her. Karma only wished she knew how Tone felt about her.

Saiyaka poked her head in, silky black hair back in pigtails.

"Nolo, time to try on your costumes," she said. Saiyaka waved dismissively as Karma rose. "No, Karma, I don't need you just yet. I'll call you for final adjustments; this is just to make sure everything fits."

"Make sure he looks really girly!" Tone called after them. Karma chuckled, and he smiled at her.

"And don't forget to paint his nails!" Karma chimed.

Tone burst out laughing, and Karma joined him.

* * *

Nolo severely hoped that Saiyaka had forgotten the nail polish and he would not have to endure something so terrible. Had he not suffered enough? Looking himself over in the full length mirror, he thought he had. The boots were not so bad; at least, they were more comfortable than the leather pants. And the mesh top under the ripped sleeveless shirt seemed like a bit much.

Saiyaka appeared next to him, looking Nolo over and smoothing out wrinkles here and there. She stopped, resting her hands on his waist and smiling at him in the mirror.

"How's the dog collar feel?"

"A little tight, but I think I'll manage. Listen, Saiyaka, we don't _really_ have to paint my nails today, do we?"

"Today? Oh, no," she said, adjusting the studded collar and hanging chains. "We're going to start with Harry's scenes; Gary's scenes will be filmed last."

"I know that, but do we have to paint my nails at all, and can't we just skip the eyeliner? Look at it from a realistic standpoint. On the rare occasions when you encounter a Hispanic Goth in the real world, they go more for piercings than makeup. Even the girls would rather get a nose ring than wear black lipstick."

Saiyaka scrutinized Nolo's costume in the mirror, still behind him. She thought for quite some time, and then she spoke.

"I had taken that into account," she said, "but I assumed you would rather wear eyeliner than get pierced. It's painful and there's risk of infection, and I didn't think you would go through that."

"Well, we can get clip-ons, right?" he asked. "I won't actually have to get pierced."

"I suppose so…But Karma was really looking forward to doing your makeup. Oh, I just don't know." Saiyaka called out to the kitchen. "Karma! Could you come here a sec?"

There was no answer, and after she called louder a second time, there was a crash. Nolo and Saiyaka ran to the kitchen to see what was going on.

A chair was tipped over, and there Tone and Karma were, making out on the floor. A bowl of the stage blood the pair had been mixing now coated most of there bodies, shining and dripping in a sticky sugary mess as Karma began to pull up Tone's shirt.

Saiyaka whistled loud enough to stop a train, and Karma and Tone yelped, scrambling to their feet.

"Saiyaka! Uh, um, we were just…um…"

Saiyaka smiled, looking deep into Tone's eyes. "If you hurt her, you're a dead man. I'm serious, Tone. You're a nice guy and I like you, but if you ever hurt Karma, the cops will never ever find what's left of you."

"Don't hurt him! I _love_ him!" Karma held the elder Pasaro passionately, her eyes pleading. Tone grinned, giving his brother a thumbs up. Nolo returned the thumbs up with both hands. Saiyaka frowned, looking at the pantry door.

Saiyaka pulled the door open to reveal a blushing Shirako with a digital camcorder. "How long were you in there, Shi-Shi-chan?"

Shirako gulped, unsure of what to say. His guilty eyes drifted to Tone and Karma, and his voice cracked. "Wow, you guys are really sticky. I'll get the Windex!" He slammed the pantry door shut, but Saiyaka pulled him out by his ear before he could make it to the crawl space and escape.

* * *

Harry smiled to himself for no particular reason as he casually leafed through some books from the discard pile. After scanning each item, he blacked out the barcodes and stamped "WITHDRAWN FROM THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY" in red ink on the inside back cover.

Harry Ramirez was a Senior Page at the Montez Library, a branch of the LA County Library system. Basically, he worked behind the front desk and helped patrons of the library find what they needed. And just now, a slight movement in the foreground of his vision alerted him to someone who required his immediate attention.

She was slim waisted, with fair skin and shining auburn hair that shagged into her sparklingly clear blue eyes. The tight red top and low-rise jeans she wore made Harry swallow his gum.

"Can I help you?" he choked out finally. The girl had been absent-mindedly rifling through a school book, but she now stared at Harry with wide eyed, collie-like attention. Did she like him? Would she ask Harry out?

"Larry?"

Dammit. Harry sighed, his shoulders slumping. "No, Larry's my bully of a brother," he said, annoyed. "I'm Harry. Harry Ramirez."

"Chelsea Kowalchik," she answered, still incredulous. "I'm sorry for the mix up. Larry just never told any of us he had a brother."

"Well, I understand," Harry said, nodding. "We go to different high schools; we engage in different activities, we lead different lives. The jock jerk just didn't want anyone to know he was related to a nerd."

"But that's horrible," Chelsea said sympathetically. "How could he be so cruel to his own twin brother?"

"We were _triplets_ before Gary ran away."

"Gary?" Chelsea huffed, raising her eyebrows, but her look softened. "Oh…Oh, God, I'm so sorry."

Harry snorted. "Don't be. That Goth-freak was bad news. Skipping school, fighting with our stepdad, getting into Palo Mayomble and Witchcraft; he broke our mother's heart, the ingrate. He left a bunch of black candles burning on the porch that night, with a dead cat and pennies and stuff."

"Ewwwww."

"It freaked us out, too," he said, nodding. "Couldn't even touch the stuff. We had to get a Santerian priest to clean it up. He said it was a revenge curse."

This got Chelsea's attention. "Revenge?" she asked. Good God, it was crazy, but it just might work.

"Yeah, but who knows what for?" he spat. "Our family gave him everything he ever wanted or needed, and he goes and blames _us_ for _his_ problems, tries to avenge himself through the dark arts. Can you believe the nerve of that guy?!"

"No. No, that's too terrible for words…"

Chelsea looked so far away, so deep in thought. Harry worried that he had bored the girl, perhaps even given her the heebie jeebies.

"But you don't need to hear about any of that," he said hurriedly. "I'm so sorry for ranting. Please, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Do you have a section on world religions?"

Harry smiled. "Right this way, please."

"Thank you. That's very kind of you."

"Oh, I'm happy to help!" he chirped.

Chelsea followed Harry towards Nonfiction, Library of Congress classification BE through BT.

"What are you looking up religions for, anyway?"

"Oh, you know…school project."

"And…CUT! That was perfect, guys. Nolo, Karma, you were fantastic. I seriously love you. Seriously."

Tone patted his brother on the back. "You were great, bro. A real one take wonder."

"Yeah, I am pretty good at this, aren't' I?" Nolo slipped off the fake glasses he only wore as the nerdy triplet Harry and grinned at Saiyaka. "How'd you swing 'em letting us into this place anyway?"

"The branch manager's daughter portrayed Audrey when we did Little Shop. Oh, that reminds me; I better go thank her again. Shirako, pack it up."

Shirako nodded to his two AV buddies who were handling sound and lighting and put his camera away.

The day had started out with a quick drive to pick up a couple of Audi-Visual Club nerds for the shoot, on location at their local library. Karma had picked out a cute outfit the day before. Nolo wore a blue V-neck sweater and glasses that made him want to kick his own ass. But today was the day they shot Harry's scenes, which, thankfully, there were only a small number of. Larry had a few more scenes, but they were shorter and his lines and actions made him very unlikable. Gary would basically steal the movie with his reluctant heroics, snappy one liners and gruesomely prolonged death.

Nolo had decided that maybe acting wasn't all bad, but he still did not look forward to Gary's scenes.

Saiyaka and Karma walked back to them. "Okay, boys, let's head back to Karma's place; we have to film a basement scene next."

The kid holding the sound equipment grew pale and nearly fainted. "Doesn't her family own a mortuary?"

Saiyaka huffed and rolled her eyes. "Would you relax? No bodies today. I checked. We only need the stuffy windowless interior for some 'dark magic' shots. Then we go to her brother's room for Harry's half of the Harry versus Larry argument."

"Well, as long as there are no bodies…"

* * *

Miguel and Shadow found the place easily enough; it was the only building in the neighborhood painted blood red. And sure enough, when they walked in, there was the third and final Ramirez triplet. Gary, the Goth.

Gary was cleaning what Shadow hoped was only strawberry syrup off of the glass display case which held all manner of new-agey artifacts, from stone jewelry to dried chicken feet. A deck of tarot cards and what looked like a lock of hair rested next to his hand.

When he had finally thrown away the paper towels, Gary looked coldly up at the boys.

"The fuck do you want?" he said darkly.

Before Miguel could get a word in edgewise, Shadow quickly explained how Miguel had slighted the lovely Chelsea, ranting and raving about the horrific tragedies that had been set in motion. Gary listened to the grisly details with a bored expression, nodding every so often, and even looking at his watch.

"The fuck do you want me to do about it?" he said as soon as Shadow too a breath. "I never liked those punks anyways. The fuck do you think I dropped out for? They're all bastard coated bastards with bastard filling; the shorter their lives, the better. It only makes things easier for the rest of us."

"But Harry Ramirez said you would help!"

"Harry Ramirez can kiss my ass, and that goes double for his brother Larry."

"But Gary," Miguel said, "Larry's dead."

Gary's eyes widened momentarily, but he quickly composed himself, acting nonchalant. "Good for him. I was always telling him to drop dead. I'm glad he finally got around to it."

"He didn't just die, Gary; Chelsea killed him."

Shadow nodded frantically. "Yeah, yeah, man! She ripped his throat right out and killed him, and then she went after Harry."

"She threw Harry against the wall, and he told us to come find you before he—"

"Is Harry dead too?" Gary asked suddenly.

Miguel shook his head. "Just unconscious," he said. "He was stable when the ambulance took him away, but that was twenty minutes ago."

Gary exhaled loudly, running a hand through his hair.

Miguel put a hand on Gary's shoulder. "Gary, this is important," he said. "Before he passed out, Harry said he recognized the symbol Chelsea used from one of your books. He said it was called 'the Circle of Fenrir.'"

Gary's jaw dropped. "The Insatiable? Oh shit!" Gary pulled an ancient looking tome from the shelf behind him and began flipping purposefully through the pages until he found what he was looking for. He groaned. "Aw, shit."

"What? Is it really that bad?" Shadow began to hyperventilate and grabbed Gary by his shirt, shaking him. "For the love of God, tell me!!"

Gary slapped Shadow hard across the face and turned the book around on the countertop. "The Circle of Fenrir is the symbol of Fenrir the Insatiable. He's a vengeance demon, and once he's summoned, he won't stop devouring the souls and bodies of the living."

"Until?"

"Until _nothing,_ man. He just won't stop. Motherfucker can't get enough of violence and pandemonium. That's why he's called 'the Insatiable,' duh."

"Gary, you've got to help us, man," Shadow pleaded. "Chelsea summoned this thing after Miguel broke up with her for that bitch Keeonna. She let herself get possessed because of a broken heart and now she's killing and eating everyone in her path."

"It's my fault this happened," Miguel said. "I have to take responsibility and set things right. But I don't know how, Gary. Please, help me."

Gary fingered the edge of the page. "You're not just messing with me, right? Shit, man, if this is really Fenrir, it could be the end of life on Earth. Not even the substance of a soul can survive his wrath. He destroys everything he touches. This…this could be the end of the world…"

* * *

"DUN DUN DUN!!" Shirako said. His sister burst out laughing and punched him in the arm. "Oh, man, that was cheesy. But I loved every minute of it."

Tone and Karma giggled, snuggling deeper into the couch and each other's arms. Nolo smiled at them and looked back over to Saiyaka and Shirako, who were now throwing popcorn at each other. Saiyaka laughed again.

"We did do a pretty good job," Nolo said.

"That was professional quality!" Saiyaka said triumphantly, dodging a pillow Shirako swung at her. "We could release it tomorrow if we had a distributor."

Karma wagged her finger. "That's a big 'if,' Saiyaka."

She shrugged, disconnecting her laptop from the television. "Hey, a girl can dream." She smiled. "For a no-budget indie flick by a bunch of loser high school kids, the acting and production values were great. It might take a few years, but it could still happen."

"Yo, she's got a point," Shirako said. "You make a lot of important contacts in film school."

Karma smirked. "I think this is more something for just us. _Hell Hath No Fury_ is something special, something we did together."

"Yeah, of course. We'll watch it every Halloween, and we'll laugh at how crude it was and say we could have done better and what were we thinking anyway?" Saiyaka rolled her eyes. "Karma, I was just thinking out loud is all. I'm not saying this will win any Oscars. I just want people to see what I've done; I don't want _Hell Hath No Fury_ to end up another _Honor Student: The Reckoning._"

Shirako winced. "Yo, why did you have to bring up _that_ turkey?"

"Why do you have to keep saying yo? You re not from the ghetto, Shi-Shi-chan. Dad's a dentist and a lot of our relatives live in Beverly Hills. You are not now, nor will you ever be, anything that even resembles Gangsta."

"That's cold, yo," Shirako grumbled. Saiyaka snapped at him once more.

"STOP SAYING YO!!"

Tone rolled his eyes and smiled. "Well, it would be pretty cool to see mi hermano's name in lights. Pass the popcorn, Nolito."

* * *

A/N: Well, I for one, enjoyed that a great deal. That really helped me. I feel so much better now, but I think I'm gonna go spend all my money on pizza and comic books anyway. Just so you don't worry, I would like to point out that the doctors caught it in the earliest possible stages, so my mother will probably be fine. She's _barely_ even into stage one yet. But I pray for her anyway. After all, she _is_ my Mom.


	3. Dead Man's Party

A/N: Woo! I completed another chapter of Selling the Drama. Took me long enough, right? Well, anyhoodles, here it is. The continuing adventures of The Dragon Lady of the Drama Club. Fear her L33T Drama skills.

* * *

Even some of the Metal Maniacs had fled in terror as Nolo ran through the maze of parked cars. Saiyaka had finally gone completely over the edge and was chasing him with an axe. She was going to chop him into little pieces.

Over a year had passed since their first meeting; Nolo was no longer an easily distracted fifteen year old boy, but an easily distracted seventeen year old boy. A surfer and some guy from the East coast had joined the Teku, and a stoic Jap had bolstered the ranks of their hated rivals, the Metal Maniacs. Karma was still doing stunt work, Tone was a bouncer at the club where Shirako deejayed, and Saiyaka was in film school at UCLA. But she had come out for a Teku/Maniac Halloween grudge match.

"Was it something I said?" Nolo asked pathetically, dodging a blow from her axe. Assorted members of the Teku were running out of her way, screaming and begging for Saiyaka to calm down, not to hurt Nolo, but she was laughing like a crazy person.

On the Maniac side, only Tork and the new guy remained, hiding behind the leader's car and watching the scene in shock. Something had snapped inside this girl's brain. She was attacking her own team, here, in public.

"Oh, c'mon, Nolo, don't you want to play with me?" she asked loudly. Her husky tone of voice was seductive, but the fireman's axe she swung around was a major turnoff.

"What a frikkin' psycho," Tork whispered in disbelief.

The new guy, Taro, agreed. "Hai. Completely insane."

They watched intently, torn as whether to risk their own necks to save this kid, or to keep their hiding place.

"This isn't our fight," Tork finally reasoned. "The Teku will take care of their own."

Taro only gasped in reply, pointing to the Teku side. Nolo had fallen, and was now backpedaling away from Saiyaka, their faces lit with an eerie blue glow from the undercarriage of Synkro. Saiyaka smiled at the younger boy, much like a lioness plays with a mouse. She shouldered the axe and hooked her left thumb into her belt loop as she took a step towards her prey.

"Don't worry, babe," she said. "I promise I'll make this quick."

"W-why are you doing this?!"

"Why?" she asked, her face perturbed. "Why?! You don't know, Nolo? You don't know _why?!"_

"I don't know!!"

Saiyaka grinned, raising her axe to strike, and Nolo froze.

"Are you scared, Nolo?!" she asked with savage glee, her eyes wide and bright. Nolo was crying now, and could only nod in answer. Saiyaka's grin widened.

"You shouldn't be," she said. "Smile. You're on Scare Tactics."

"…What…?"

Saiyaka snickered, bending the blade of the axe to show everyone that it was rubber before dropping the pseudo-weapon and bursting into a fit of giggles that even the treetops seemed to join her in. No; not the trees themselves, but college students from Saiyaka's film classes, hidden in the branches. A few of them climbed down, circling Nolo like sharks with their cameras and microphones.

A joke. It had all been a tasteless joke.

Relieved that no one was hurt, what few Metal Maniacs remained laughed their asses off, leaning against each other for support. Even Karma Eiss snickered quietly to herself. The new guys, Kurt and Vert, were too stunned to say anything, but Shirako clicked tongue and crossed his arms.

"Yo," he intoned. "Not cool, sis. Not cool at all."

"That's right," Tone agreed, helping his poor, shaken-up brother to his feet. "You've pulled some shit in your day, Saiyaka, but you ain't the Dragon Lady of the Drama Club no more. This behavior is unasseptable! You're off the Teku."

She shrugged, smiling. "This was getting in the way of film school anyway." She grinned leaning in close to Nolo and speaking in that same husky voice. "Was that as good for you as it was for me, babe?" She threw back her head and laughed.

"You suck, you suck, and I fucking hate you!!" Nolo screamed in a high and screechy voice. "You SUCK!!"

"Only if you take me out to dinner first," she said breathily. Nolo blinked a few times in surprise. He fumbled, tried to think of a snappy comeback, failed, pointed at Saiyaka, threw up his arms in exasperation, threw his head back and screamed, and finally walked away cursing in Spanish. Saiyaka grinned.

Tork called from across the street. "Can I get a copy of that tape?"

"You got five bucks?"

Vert shook his head. "What the heck was that about?"

Kurt shook _his_ head. "No idea."

Shirako sighed in annoyance. _"That,"_ he said, referring to the well-executed Halloween prank, "was exactly why no one messed with Saiyaka in high school. Saiyaka is fuckin' crazy."

"I don't doubt that, Shi-Shi-chan," Kurt said, using the pet name Saiyaka had used earlier, and Shirako scowled at him.

"Yo, don't call me that! I hate that nickname. You know 'chan' is the female diminutive? She calls me that just cuz she knows it ticks me off. I swear I could strangle my sister sometimes! I could at least deal with 'Shi-kun' but NO! She has to call me Shi-Shi-chan." Shirako sighed again, cleaning off his glasses on his shirt. "I'm sorry. I'm ranting."

"It's all right, Shi-kun," Kurt said with a smile. "I don't mind."

Vert snorted. "You guys are so gay."

* * *

Pablo Steinberg was a Hunga-Rican; that is to say, his mother was Puerto Rican and his father was a Hungarian Jew. Despite his unusual heritage, or perhaps because of it, he grew up in a very warm and loving home environment. He was always very happy and friendly and kind, and so it was no wonder he was so well-liked. And so, despite his modest dwelling place, all were welcome in his home. Therefore, he always threw the best parties.

Angelic Shirako deejayed for free as a favor to Pablo, and Indiana Kurt kept him company, bringing him drinks and snacks all night and getting to know the boy. On the occasions he felt the need to dance Kurt never strayed far, and kept Shirako amused by cracking his whip and dancing with it wrapped suggestively around the shoulders of the nearest girl. The other new guy, Vert, had come as a zombie and was giving the two young men a wide berth while he scoped the party for black girls, who he had a certain affection for. Karma, in a Princess Leia costume, had managed to rope Tone into being her Han Solo. Nolo, upset and embarrassed, almost stayed home, but took on a half-hearted façade of his character from Hell Hath No Fury, Gary Ramirez.

The black makeup around his eyes itched as he moved through the people; some he knew, some he did not. It seemed Nolo was the only one not having a good time. Leaning against the outer wall of the house—the dance floor was in the backyard—Nolo looked up at the stars. He could still hear people laughing at him, and he wanted to hit someone. Maybe it was just the alcoholic haze that had settled over him. Nolo felt tired and mellow, but it could not suppress his rage.

He felt silk and fur as a hand took his and moved it to the slim waist of a girl in a kimono. He did not have to take off her kabuki mask to know it was Saiyaka. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back down again before looking at her.

"You haven't humiliated me enough tonight? You had to come back for more?"

"Nolo, I…I wanted to apologize. It was just supposed to be a prank. You know me—"

"So I'm just supposed to forgive you?" he said loudly. "Is that what you think?"

People were beginning to stare, so Saiyaka grabbed Nolo's hand and led him inside.

* * *

As many people as there were in the yard, there were almost as many in the house. The only empty room they could find, the only place for any privacy, was Pablo's bedroom.

After she locked the door, Saiyaka took her mask back off. She did look regretful, Nolo noted. They both sighed, trying to ignore the bed next to them and the tension in the air.

"I don't even know what I was thinking," she finally said. "It just sounded like so much fun to film a prank on someone. You acted when I directed, so I figured you would understand. I've always felt that you knew me pretty well, Nolo."

Nolo smiled grimly. "Better than you think."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what your problem is, Saiyaka?" When she did not answer, he continued. "that's exactly what you're afraid of. You keep saying, 'oh, nobody understands me, I'm so misunderstood,' but I don't think you _want_ people to understand you. Cuz if they know how you think, they can hurt you. So you drive 'em away before they get to close so they never get a chance to reject you."

Siayaka blinked, unable to reply. What Nolo said was dead on, though she had never thought about it or admitted it to herself. He was absolutely right.

"Damn, Nolo. How come you're only this smart when you drink?"

He gently cupped her surprised, blushing face and kissed her tenderly, licking her lips and exploring her mouth. When he pulled away, Saiyaka was red and her breathing was sharp. She trembled in his arms.

"See what I mean?" he said. "Same old sarcastic responses."

* * *

Saiyaka was quiet, unable to believe what she had just done. She was used to being in control, but she had lost herself. She had not been in control of Nolo, not at all. They always seemed to bring out the worst in each other. Well, maybe not the worst…Nolo had certainly been in top form, and Saiyaka blushed at the memory. They were both such dominant personalities that it could not possibly work out between them. The split second Nolo sobered up, she felt certain he would leave and pretend the whole night had never happened. He would abandon Saiyaka and never speak to her again, and she would have no control over the situation. She would be at the mercy of the fates.

But Saiyaka was mistress of her own destiny. Tears rolling down her cheeks, she gently pulled Nolo's arm from her form and as quickly and quietly as she could, put her costume back on. At least the mask would hide her tears. Only Nolo had seen her face, so no one noticed Saiyaka Takamoto. All they saw was a disheveled girl with frazzled hair and a rumpled kimono. They had seen her leave the bedroom and could tell by her bowlegged walk that she made love to someone, though they did not hear the passionate cries over the pulsing trance techno. And though the guests at Pablo Steinberg's party could glean this information with but a glance, they did not know or care who she was.

Nolo, abandoned, told no one of what transpired between him and Saiyaka. Some weeks later, sfter Thanksgiving, Siayaka sobbingly confessed to Karma, who secretly told Tone. The two tried to mediate a meeting between the younger Pasaro and the elder Takamoto, but they had no luck. As fate would have it, Saiyaka and Nolo would not speak again for six months. The occasion?

Tone's funeral.

Karma's family owned a mortuary, and Saiyaka had always cracked morbid jokes about the bodies in their basement. But seeing her best friend in the midst of such an inconsolable grief, she behaved; Karma could not take the joke, she knew. That would defeat the purpose entirely.

Tone was never Saiyaka's favorite person, but he was a good guy, or at least…he had been. Now, he was ashes. Ashes mixed with twisted metal and crushed fiberglass. At the very least, Saiyaka thought, he had gone out doing what he loved, and in an explosion Jerry Bruckheimer would have been proud of. But Karma did not need to hear that. She needed a shoulder to cry one, someone to hold her and let her know things would be alright.

"It's going to be alright, Karma," she said tenderly, her arm around the crying girl's shoulders. "The pain will go away over time. We all know how deeply Tone loved you. That's why he would want you to be happy."

"I just miss him so much," Karma sobbed. Her eyes were wide, like a frightened child, and shining with tears. She cringed, choked, and wailed into Saiyaka's shoulder.

"I know, honey, I know…" Saiyaka held her best friend in an unsuccessful attempt to comfort her. A pair of big hands gently clasped Karma's and Saiyaka turned to see Nolo, his eyes red.

"He loved you, Karma," he said, "and you know he still does. He always will. You have to know that."

Karma sniffled. "Nolo?"

"Even now, he's watching over us. Nolo's smile was weak and sad, as if from a bittersweet memory. He sniffed and tears welled up in his eyes. "Tone loved you, Karma. You have to know that. I don't know if he ever got the chance to tell you, but he told me. He loved you, he still loves you, and he'll watch over you."

The tears were beginning to show, and his voice was getting higher, almost frantic. "He'd want you to be happy, Karma. Everything's going to be okay."

Karma's eyes were still wide, but more from shock and fear than from grief. Nolo was practically shrieking these comforting words at his brother's girlfriend. Really, he was trying to convince himself more than anything. Most of the mourners were staring at him. As Nolo came to realize this, he cleared his throat and quietly excused himself.

Still holding Karma, Saiyaka watched him longingly. Her memories of their last night together rang through her mind; how happy she had felt, how terrible. Nolo destroyed years of self-imposed exile and relieved her loneliness. And here he was, so alone and distraught.

Karma had calmed down a little bit by now. Shirako put his arm around her, and nodded with a gentle expression. "It's okay," he said to Saiyaka. "Go after him."

Saiyaka smiled weakly and turned away.

* * *

Saiyaka could hear quiet sobs as she approached the rear exit of the mortuary. She found Nolo sitting in the alley, sitting on a box marked 'FORMALDAHYDE.' There was a small puddle forming on the cracked cement where his tears fell.

"Hey."

Nolo looked slowly up the legs of the woman who stood before him, past the black skirt and blouse, and finally to her concerned face. He smiled weakly and wiped his tears on his sleeve.

"Didn't think you'd show," he said. "How…how have you been, Saiyaka?"

"Could be worse, I guess." Though she longed to do so, she made no effort to sit next to him. "You want to talk about it?"

Nolo snapped at her. "What's to talk about? You tossed me aside like an old toy."

"I…I meant about your older brother…Are you alright, Nolo? You're scaring Karma. She's worried about you."

"Yeah. Her. Not you."

"All of the Teku, Nolo!" Saiyaka sighed. "It's never easy losing someone you care about."

"I didn't lose him," he said grimly. "Tone was taken from me. He was taken before his time by that fucking Maniac's lousy driving!"

"Nolo—"

"He had his whole life ahead of him," Nolo continued, tears once more in his eyes. "He talked about settling down with Karma, starting the kind of family we never got to have. I can't even remember my parents anymore, Saiyaka, Tone and I were all each other had."

Siayaka couldn't bear to look at Nolo for fear of the rage burning in his eyes—rage mingled with pain and loss. She had the distinct impression he was going to hit her. In fact, she wished he would.

But Nolo only stood to leave.

"Tork Maddox will pay for this," he said. "He'll pay with his life. I swear it."

It was Saiyaka's turn to cry alone.

* * *

A/N: So, hopefully, that explains why some parts of my universe are the way they are. Did you see how cute Kurt and Shirako look together? Adorable! Squeeee! Oh, so cute. Who knows? Maybe I'll write a little naughty something or other for them. Might be fun.


End file.
